Odd Incidents

at Blue River

Policemen in charge of small detachments have large areas
to patrol and their duties are varied. In this story an
ex-B.C. Police constable tells of odd expert-
ences ranging from recovering stolen cats
to picking up drug addicts.

*
By
ROBERT BRUCE

*

O THE AVERAGE person sit-

ting in a comfortable chair ina

club car of a trans-continental
train looking through the window at
the small station of a minor divisional
point there is little of interest to
observe. The reaction of the traveler,
if he has any at all, is one of mild
irritation at the delay. It does not
occur to him that people live there,
raise families, and go about their
daily round, much the same as they
do in a city.

Blue River, a small settlement on
the main line of the Canadian Na-
tional Railway, between Kamloops
and Jasper, is such a place, and I was
stationed there as a constable in the
British Columbia Provincial Police
for three years, in the early thirties.
It was an experience on which I look
back with pleasure. I met people
there and made friendships which
have lasted to this day. Many who
lived there at that time have moved
away, some have passed on, but now
and then, here and there, I have come
across friends that shared my ex-
periences of those days, and it is nice
to sit down and talk about the old
times.

My duties took me as far south as

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*

British Columbia

FIELD

TWENTY-THIRD EDITION

Barrierre, and North to Valemount,
and I made frequent patrols up and
down the line, and called at the
settlement along the way. A con-
stable in such a place was the repre-
sentative of the Government and
acted in every capacity from marry-
ing people, as registrar of births,
marriages and deaths, to issuing assist-
ance to unemployed, as relief officer.
A constable was supposed to be on
duty day and night, and those who
desired his services were not back-
ward in calling him at any time.

I remember one cold winter night
receiving a telegram from Clearwater
which stated barely: “Police, come at
once.” On making enquiries I learned
there would be a freight pulling south
at 2:30 a.m. When it whistled for the
yard limit I was in the caboose.

Cat Stealing

Arriving at Clearwater I made en-
quiries about the telegram and
learned that it had been sent by a
woman some distance from the sta-
tion. On the way I called at the local
post office, which was situated in a
general store, to find out anything
further I could, about the complaint.
The postmaster was able to enlighten
me, and I learned that the lady in
question accused him of stealing her
cat. He went on to explain the cir-
cumstances: “The cat came in the door
itself and hung around. This was day
before yesterday. Naturally we gave it
something to eat. In fact, look at it
now.” He pointed in the direction of
the stove, and there, crouched on the
floor was a large black and white

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*

FRESH AND CURED MEATS
*

FIELD British Columbia

tabby, busily engaged in lapping milk
from a saucer.

“Well,” I asked. “Do you mind if I
take it back?”

“No,” he replied. “Go ahead and
take it. She could have picked it up
herself when she was in here yester-
day, but she didn’t.”

I put the animal under my arm and
started off through the snow. The
lady lived half a mile down the road,
and on arriving at her home I

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Page Fifty-nine